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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27287539">This side of paradise</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BKAKCANON/pseuds/BKAKCANON'>BKAKCANON</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Meetings, Gen, M/M, One Shot, Slow Burn, akaashi is the master of disguise lmao, akaashi started a whole revolution for bokuto, bokuto is literally the protagonist of the world, bokuto is trying his best, but on the epilogue everything will be fixed dont worry folks, inspired by the truman show, kenma is a hacker, kuroo is a great friend cries, they swear a lot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:33:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,487</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27287539</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BKAKCANON/pseuds/BKAKCANON</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Bokuto Koutarou is living a normal life in a normal town. That's what he has been told all his life anyway, so that's what he believes.</p><p>At least it is, until Akaashi Keiji appears in his life, making him question everything he knows.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Kozume Kenma &amp; Kuroo Tetsurou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>This side of paradise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>HELLEW and please be welcome to my first big writing project. First off, I wanna thank my lovely native english speaker friend lils for helping me develop this story. She's the most talented writer i know and i probably wouldn’t have finished this if it weren’t for her support.</p><p>Anyways, as you can see this fic is inspired by 'the truman show' which is one of my favourite movies of all time, so if you haven't watched it already, go watch it wtf, it’s on netflix even.</p><p>Also, lets play a game called spot all the different hidden references eiji was able to sneak in just because they can lmao MAN, i had so much fun writing this. I planned it to be only 2k long but ideas kept coming to my mind and now we're here lol.</p><p>[Title inspired by the song 'this side of paradise' by coyote theory which would be the official soundtrack for this fic, I'd recommend listening to the song after finishing reading.]</p><p>I HOPE YOU ENJOY AND HAVE AS MUCH FUN AS I HAD WHILE WRITING THIS</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><blockquote>
  <p>We've become bored with watching actors give us phony emotions. We are tired of pyrotechnics and special effects. While the world he inhabits is, in some respects, counterfeit, there's nothing fake about Bokuto himself. No scripts, no cue cards. It isn't always Shakespeare, but it's genuine. It's a life.</p>
  <p>Nothing you see in this show is fake. It's merely controlled.</p>
  <p> </p>
</blockquote><p>All Bokuto had known all his life was the little town of Fukurodani. </p><p>Nothing exhilarating really, his life was pretty normal; he had been born there, grew up, made friends, dated girls, and graduated. He also played volleyball sometimes, but this hobby was fading away with his new job's responsibility. He would have loved to dedicate his whole career to the sport if that had been a possibility. It wasn't, though, and he was now trying to figure out how the fuck coding worked.</p><p>So yeah, normal life.</p><p>At least that's what he thought until... weird events started happening.</p><p>It all began when he found a small box on his office desk. It had his name written on top of it with smooth handwriting. He picked it up, looking around, and turned it over to see, in a minimal size, it had written, <em>'Pretend you throw this box away and hide it. Don't open it until you're pretending to be asleep.'</em>  Weird. It was probably a prank from an office partner...  Definitely. Right?</p><p>He looked at it again, a feeling of distrust taking over him.</p><p>"What have you got there? Can I see it?" Konoha, a co-worker, asked him way too curiously. A few people turned to watch him like he was the most interesting thing right now. "O-oh, it's nothing, just trash." He said, pretending to throw it away. He instantly felt dumb. Why was he keeping it anyway? What if he was getting played? It was probably just a weird prank, but curiosity was one of his top weaknesses.</p><p>The day normally passed with no more incidents. Bokuto would have forgotten the little box hidden in his bag if it weren't for the note that fell to the floor when taking off his blazer once he had arrived back home, which read <em>'Remember.'</em> </p><p>"Well, isn't this an effective note?" He said out loud, laughing ironically to no one in particular. The sight of the smooth, familiar handwriting made him stop, though, humming to himself before throwing the note away.</p><p>***</p><p>The thought of the box waiting on his bag didn't leave his mind for the rest of the evening. He had decided it was worth doing what it said. It was only when he turned the light off and had laid down on his bed that he took the box out. He slowly opened it, only relying on his touch to guess what on earth was inside that box.</p><p>He felt a note. <em>'How am I supposed to read this? I can't see shit.'</em> He left it aside. He then found a circular thing. Confused, he took it out of the box and tried to understand the object with just his touch. 'An earphone?' It had the same shape. It was way smaller than the ones he saw being used normally at work, but the soft-edged shape was unmistakable. </p><p>After silently debating whether it was a good idea or not, he slowly brought the mysterious earphone to his ear, scared of any jump scare he would get. It was unprovable, though.</p><p>"<em>Bokuto-san?"</em> Or fucking not. Bokuto physically jumped and dropped the earphone to the floor, his heart pounding hard. He immediately felt dumb for not expecting sounds coming out from a fucking auricular. Shocking his head in disbelief, he leaned to the floor, taping urgently in search of the object.</p><p>"Koutarou? You find there?" His mother asked from the living.<em> 'Weird, I didn't make much noise. Mother instincts gotta be.'</em></p><p>"Yes, mum. Don't worry! Good night!"</p><p>He put the earpiece back again on his ear.</p><p>"Sorry for that, Bokuto-san. I didn't mean to scare you. Be careful with the earphone, though. It's actually very fragile and expensive." A soft voice came from the little device. "Oh, and <em>please</em> don't reply aloud, just listen to what I have to say. Pretend you are asleep or something."</p><p>Bokuto was lost. "Who-"</p><p>"Shhhhhhh. I'll tell you everything, but please don't talk right now. They'll get suspicious." A million questions clouded Bokuto's mind, but somehow, he managed to stay silent.</p><p>He leaned back on his bed, still too scared to actually relax. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the voice on the other side of the line.</p><p>"First off, my name is Akaashi Keiji. I am 24 years old, one year younger than you. I also need you to trust me. I know I'm asking for too much, and this is weird but, please bear with me." He heard a sigh. The man seemed to be in a rush to get everything out, so he kept his mouth shut. "I was born in Tokyo. I attended the same high school as you as an extra." <em>'An extra?'</em></p><p>He heard another sigh. "Fuck, okay, please believe what I'm about to say." Silence, nervous breathing. "Your life is a lie. There's not such a city called Fukurodani in Japan. All your friends and family members are hired to cast members, actors. Your life is basically- no, literally a reality show, Bokuto-san. Actually, a pretty popular one. The whole world knows your name."</p><p>Bokuto's eyes shut open immediately, staring confused at the dark ceiling. <em>No. What the fuck was this sick joke about.</em></p><p>"I have actual proof..." He heard another voice in the background and ruffling papers. "Do you remember ever leaving the town? You probably have photo albums with you in Tokyo or Paris, but you have never actually been there." Bokuto started shaking his head. Stop. "Also, we found a couple of mistakes... Do you switch on the TV, and a series is starting at that exact moment? Or put on the radio just to hear a song start? Have you ever seen your mother without makeup? Have you..."</p><p>Bokuto took off the earphone, stood up, and walked over to the window, tears in his eyes. "I don't know what this sick joke is about, but I'm not in the mood of mind games or stupid fucked up pranks. Go fuck yourself." After that, he threw the earpiece out the window.</p><p>He sat on his bed again, head pounding. That night, his dream seemed way more real than any other he ever had, just like... just like a memory.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>It was Christmas day, all the family was gathered together at Bokuto's house to celebrate the holidays and open up presents together. He was around 10 years old. He remembers seeing an oddly big box next to the tree, and getting curious about it. He remembers the surprise and horror he felt when the box opened up itself revealing a totally grown man who ran off screaming something about being famous on TV.</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em> It took less than two minutes for the police to come and get him. He was probably too young, but he will never forget how the man stared at him, dead in the eye, and told him he was the most famous person in the entire world. He was the protagonist of a reality show, the protagonist of the world. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Later, he had been told he was a crazy man, and was told to not think about him again. So he didn't... until now.</em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
</blockquote><p>The next morning, Bokuto woke up with a headache and decided not to think about it at all. He had hugged his mother good morning, and she had just smiled and kissed his forehead. But he did notice, before letting her go, she had still makeup on. And that would have been a normal thing if it hadn't been a Saturday morning with absolutely no plans but to rest.</p><p>***</p><p>"Fuck." Akaashi bumped his head into the desk, frustrated.</p><p>"Well, that's the expected reaction," Kenma said from behind him, taking a sip of his coffee. "I'm surprised he even took the time to listen to you for a minute. I would have just thrown the box away."</p><p>"Yeah, well, he's inquisitive. He wouldn't throw it before finding out what it was about."</p><p>"Of course you'd know that, stalker."</p><p>"I literally grew up watching him on TV Kenma, of course, I'd know this kind of stuff."</p><p>"You know there's a difference between growing up watching him on TV and obsessing over him, right?" Akaashi glared at him. Kenma held his hands up in defense. "Hey, not judging, I'm with you on this, remember? Hashtag team free Bokuto, <em>yay</em>? Half of Japan is on your side, too."</p><p>"We should follow the plan." Akaashi let out, ignoring his friend completely, going through the whole stack of information again. "And please, stop adding the <em>yay</em> to the team, free Bokuto, you're taking the seriousness out of this.</p><p>"You know, if you had had the guts actually to talk to him and had tried to befriend him from the beginning when you went to his same high school, we wouldn't have this problem right now." Akaashi banged his mug of coffee against the table.</p><p>"No one was allowed to directly talk to him, only the preselected main characters or if he talked to you first."</p><p>"You had the biggest crush on him, though, and still have."</p><p>"Don't you have work to do?" Kenma snorted and shook his head before turning to his computer. "Ah, young love."</p><p>***</p><p>"Kuroo, bro, have you ever felt like you are being observed?"</p><p>"Totally man, but only during working hours. And it's only because my boss keeps hovering over me, trying to find the slightest excuse to fire me." Bokuto snorted. "Why, though? Are you being stalked?"</p><p>"I don't know man, do you know any Akaashi Keiji?" Kuroo visibly stuttered before replying.</p><p>"No. Never heard of him. Are you sure you didn't just make that name up? Look, you need to stop stressing out about work, man. It's getting to your head." He motioned for a hug, and Bokuto immediately responded, always happy to get physical contact with his best friend. "I found this new cool radio station you should check out, 99.5FM." His friend whispered in his ear like it was the most important secret ever.</p><p>Bokuto laughed but nodded. "You didn't have to whisper that, bro."</p><p>"Yeah, but it'd look less cool." Suddenly, he looked anxious. "Anyways, I should really continue with work. See you later?"</p><p>***</p><p>That afternoon, he drove home again. He switched on the radio just to have his current favorite song starting to play. A sinking feeling of uneasiness settled on his stomach. He stared at his radio and waited for his song to finish to change radio stations. 99.5FM.</p><p>He didn't hear anything for a second and instantly thought Kuroo had been mistaken when giving him the frequency. But then he heard it.</p><p>"<em>Bzzzzz, turning the seventh street buzz bus incoming...</em>" A bus passed right next to him. "<em>Heading north, two motorcycles.</em>" He heard them before he saw them, two black motorcycles passed him by, and suddenly he wasn't paying attention to the road, staring in confusion at the radio. "<em>Bzzz turning left buzz old woman...</em>" Old woman? He looked up just to come face to face with an old woman attempting to cross the street.</p><p>He immediately hit breaks, not hitting the poor woman for just a few centimeters. "<em>Something's wrong, changing frequency--- BZZZZ</em>" After a loud beep, his radio changed automatically to the default, where the host of the afternoon show was apologizing for something he didn't get to hear. </p><p>Were... were those people <em>reporting</em> his way home? If so, why? He thought he might have imagined it, but it wouldn't leave his mind. That's why he asked his mother about it when he got home.</p><p>"So you're telling me that some random guys were reporting your way home on the radio?" Bokuto nodded, a serious look on his face.</p><p>"Yes, it was weird. They even talked about the people I passed by. It sounded like police reports but also nothing like that at all." His mother was serious, deep in thought.</p><p>"And why did you change your radio station in the first place." He was caught off guard, confused, and failing to see the importance of that information.</p><p>"Kuroo told me he had found some cool radio station, so I went to check it out, but that's not the th-."</p><p>"Kuroo, huh?"<em> What</em>. "Well, don't worry about it. You probably interfered with the police radio communication. Only before, I saw on the news they were trying to get some delinquent, and they were tracking him down, you must have driven next to him." He could have sworn he was almost alone on the road, not in the middle of car persecutions, but he decided to just go with it. What did he know? After all, his mother was always right. "We should leave the subject. I'm glad you're fine. Do you want some tea?"</p><p>That night, Kuroo didn't appear at their usual spot. He also didn't respond to his calls or messages, asking him if he was still coming over to hang out together. He didn't think of it too deeply, assuming he had passed out on his couch after finishing work, so he headed back home too.</p><p>***</p><p>"Kuroo Tetsurou, welcome. Long time no see." Akaashi said, opening up the ban's door to receive him.</p><p>"Akaashi Keiji, a pleasure to see you again, as always." Kuroo nodded at him while entering the ban. "Everything going according to plan, I suppose?"</p><p>"You could say so," Kenma said without letting his eyes leave the screen.</p><p>"So, how does it feel to get kicked out of the show just like that, after 18 years of acting," Akaashi said deadpanned.</p><p>"Hey! That's rude. I genuinely wasn't acting like being friends with Bo. He's the best. But answering your outstanding question, I feel relief. When I heard him mention your name, I could have fallen to kiss the floor." Kuroo giggled and sighed. "I'm glad you finally got the chance to start the plan we made up on high school, I can't wait to see how this ends, but I'm kinda worried too. I'm gonna miss him."</p><p>"It's all for him and because of him." </p><p>"Yes, I know. I'm more than happy to help you free him. Hashtag team free Bokuto <em>yay</em>, am I right?" Kenma choked on his coffee, but no more sounds left his mouth.</p><p>Akaashi raised an eyebrow at him before glancing back at Kuroo, amused. "I guess so. <em>Anyways</em>, I know the main plan was for you to stay in with him, but now that you got fired, we could definitely use some help from you."</p><p>***</p><p>"Are you completely sure you are in the coordinates we gave you?"</p><p>Kuroo nodded, struggling to keep the balance on the sphere-shaped ceiling. "Yes, I think so, don't worry."</p><p>"Okay, get ready. When I give you the sign, you cut it." Kenma was fully focused. Ten Mississippi's later, Kenma gave the sign.</p><p>***</p><p>Bokuto closed the door behind him, looking around the neighborhood. It was another bright and sunny day. </p><p>He breathed in, content, and made his way to the car. A loud crash right behind him made him jump, scared, and turned around to find a weird object on the floor, smoke coming out of it, and the glass broke all around.</p><p>Unsure, he walked towards it, leaning enough to identify the object. It was... a spotlight? It did look like a huge torch.</p><p>It had <em>'TBS-24280'</em> written on it, but that didn't tell Bokuto shit. He shrugged to himself and got into his car.</p><p>He didn't stop thinking about that weird object all day and about how it had fallen directly from the sky, out of seemingly nowhere.</p><p>***</p><p>"YOU ASSHOLE." Kuroo's first instinct was to run. Unfortunately, Kenma was closing the door behind him. He was fucked. He had nowhere to run for his life now.</p><p>"Akaashi nothi..."</p><p>"If you are gonna pull the <em>'nothing bad happened at the end'</em> card on me, I'll end you right fucking now." Kuroo's mouth closed comically fast. "Are you even aware of the risk you just put Bokuto-san's life into?! A few inches off, and he'd be in the hospital by now."</p><p>The taller sighed. "Yes, I know Akaash, do you think I'd want my best friend injured?"</p><p>"Of fucking course not, or at least I hope so, honestly, but you could have killed him!! The plan was to drop the spotlight at least 10 feet away, not right behind him...! <em>Fuck</em>." Akaashi hid his face behind his hands, frustrated.</p><p>"It's okay, it's my fault, your idea was great, and I think it somehow worked-"</p><p>"It was stupid. I'm putting his life at unnecessary risk, and for what? I'm sorry." Kenma took a few steps forward and placed a comforting hand on his best friend's shoulder.</p><p>"Keiji, what is done is done. Everything ended up going smoothly anyway... Look! He's even looking it up on the internet right now!" Akaashi looked up to see Bokuto cutely concentrating on his computer, trying to look up <em>'TBS-24280'</em>. Akaashi smiled fondly.</p><p>"That's it. I'll try to contact him again." He stood up, taking a bag with him.</p><p>"How though, you already tried millions of ways-"</p><p>"I'm sneaking in."</p><p>***</p><p>"If you are here to talk me out of my plan, just leave." Kenma chuckled, leaning on the side of the door frame, arms crossed.</p><p>"I won't say it's going to fail. It's just highly unprovable." Akaashi turned to him, ready to kick him out. "You have already tried this. They know you, Akaashi. To the guys working there, you are already a threat to the Bokuto show."</p><p>"I know-"</p><p>"No, you don't seem to understand it very well. They won't let you anywhere near him, he's very protected, and you know it. If they recognize you on the camera, it's over for you."</p><p>"It won't be," Akaashi said loudly, closing his bag and turning to face his friend. "they can identify me if they want, but they won't catch me."</p><p>"But if they do... Keiji, remember why you got fired in the first place? You literally tried to tell him everything in the middle of the school corridor, in front of all the cameras." Sigh. "He didn't even know you at all, so he was told you were crazy and that you had been taken to a special place for 'crazy people.' What if they recognize you and catch you? What if <em>he</em> recognizes you and tells someone. I swear I'd-"</p><p>"They won't catch me." He said firmly. "Kuroo is going to help me anyway. Barely anyone knows he's been fired yet. I'll enter in a disguise too; this will work out."</p><p>"I really hope so."</p><p>***</p><p>Clicking sounds coming from Kenma's keyboard, brain working hard focusing on the screen before him. Then, the sound of a door opening behind him and a huff of someone sitting down beside him. Silence. And that's it. He can no longer focus on what he's doing. "What."</p><p>"Akaashi has already sneaked in, right? I came to see how he's doing." Kenma just nodded, shuffling through the different screens with cameras he had managed to hack. "I offered him costumes I stole before I got kicked out, but he said he already had the perfect disguise, so I didn't insist. Do you think we will even be able to recognize him?"</p><p>This time, Kenma turns to face Kuroo, not being able to hide the surprise on his face. "I didn't know he had his own costumes." He turned to the microphone and switched it on. "Akaashi? If you can hear me, tell us where you are right now so we can locate you."</p><p>"The park in front of the building of his office. I'm talking on the phone." </p><p>"Right, hold on." He expertly changed cameras to the location he was told. "I see a lot of people. Could you be more specific in your position? There are about 7 people with their phone on their ears right now, mostly women, which-"</p><p>Loud bark he recognized as a laugh came right from behind him, so he turned again to Kuroo, who didn't seem able to stop laughing. "Wh-what-."</p><p>It seemed like Kuroo couldn't even handle his breathing. "I-I I-think I found him, K-Kenma." He tried his best to say while still laughing, pointing at one part of the screen. Kenma wondered what was so funny about the situation, following the direction his colleague had pointed. Then, he saw it.</p><p>Honestly, Kenma is a peaceful guy who knows how to control his emotions well. He's analytic and doesn't lose his temper often.</p><p>But.</p><p>At that exact moment?</p><p>All he wanted to do was to bang his head against a wall.</p><p>Repeatedly.</p><p>Kuroo didn't seem to want to stop laughing, but Kenma somehow didn't find it funny at all. "Akaashi."</p><p>"Yes?"</p><p>"What the fuck are you wearing." On the screen, a confused Akaashi with a too brightly big fake mustache shrug.</p><p>"A disguise." Kuroo was laughing even harder. Something Kenma didn't think was possible.</p><p>"Are you fucking crazy? How do you call that a disguise, you are definitely drawing attention on yourself, and it's just a matter of time the guards recogn-"</p><p>"Ah, there he is. I gotta go now. Wish me good luck." A buzz, and the microphone was off. Kenma wanted to scream.</p><p>"I can't believe he's the smartest guy I know." His companion only hums amused while watching Akaashi make his way over to Bokuto. </p><p>***</p><p>It was 5 PM exactly when Bokuto stepped out of his office, brain hurting after all the effort he had made to understand numbers all day. He took a deep breath and looked around, it was a sunny and warm day, and the birds were definitely having a great time. </p><p>He was making his way to his car when he bumped into someone, followed by a thud against the floor.</p><p>Startled, he looked up from his phone to find a pair of familiar grey eyes, soft and metallic. They belonged to a young man with a weird mustache on his face. He was stunning, though. "God, sorry, my bad. Are you okay?" He raised his hand slightly to help the beautiful stranger out, concern growing on his face.</p><p>"Yes, it's okay, don't worry about it. Believe it or not, it happens to me all the time. People don't seem to notice me." The stranger accepted Bokuto's hand and stood up again. They stared at each other for a moment. </p><p>"Do I know yo-"</p><p>Another thud, and suddenly, the mustache was gone. It had dropped to the floor, interrupting Bokuto mid-sentence. "Oops, haha, well, there goes my mustache! It was fake anyways, <em>just like everything else in this city</em>."</p><p>"What are you talking abo-?" Bokuto tried asking, but he was interrupted yet again.</p><p>"Hey! You! What do you think you are doing?" The stranger turned to find two police officers heading straight to him.</p><p>"Ah fuck, it was nice talking again with you, Bokuto-san. See you later." And after that, he was sprinting away, being closely followed by the officers.</p><p>Bokuto wasn't able to process what happened a few hours later, having 10 missed calls from his mother on the phone. </p><p>She later warned him about what she had heard on the news, about crazy people wandering around the city and targeting citizens. Bokuto just nodded, sipping his soup gently, still deep in thought.</p><p>That guy didn't seem like a crazy type of guy. He seemed pretty normal. And he could have sworn he had seen him before somewhere.</p><p>He shook his head, trying to get away from the train of incoming thoughts. Maybe he had just met him in another life.</p><p>***</p><p>"I'm back!" Kenma stood up, grabbing the stand lamp, and made his way rapidly to the newcomer. Fortunately enough for Akaashi, Kuroo grabbed him from behind before he could do any harm to his friend.</p><p>"THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING ABOUT YOU IDIOT? I HAD YOU AS A SMART PERSON."</p><p>Akaashi took a couple of steps back and sighed. "I know what I did was risky but-"</p><p>"You said you had a disguise."</p><p>"I had-"</p><p>"That couldn't even classify as a disguise, and you know it, you moron. What the fuck was your plan anyway? The guards-"</p><p>Akaashi looked down, embarrassed, playing with his fingers but not showing a hint of hesitation. "I thought I would catch his attention easier and force him to focus on me if I bumped into him. He's kind. He would not check on other people if he thought it was his fault they got hurt." The two men were now silently looking at him, so he continued. "And the mustache thing... I thought it could shock him enough to make him remember me."</p><p>Kuroo and Kenma exchanged a disbelieving look. "Man," his best friend began, "I know your current main priority is Bokuto, but you need to remember what we are doing here is illegal. That company legally adopted Bokuto. That huge ass stage is all private property, don't forget the more than five thousand cameras in there, and it's all being broadcasted live worldwide uninterruptedly. We are doing this because what this company is doing goes against our morals, but what they are doing is totally legal... What I'm trying to say is, what you did back there was too dangerous for <em>you,</em> and if they catch you next time, we won't be able to know about you ever again."</p><p>"Next time? Akaashi, this wasn't a one-time thing only?" Kuroo looked back and forth between the two.</p><p>"Yeah, this was just the beginning. I'll be back in there soon again."</p><p>"You will, I can't stop you, but I'll be only okay with it, and help you if you accept to wear proper costumes next time. And to be properly protected. And to leave as soon as you are done."</p><p>Akaashi rolled his eyes but nodded. "Yes, sir."</p><p>***</p><p>Bokuto didn't think about those grey eyes until a couple of days later when he saw them again. </p><p>It was a brief moment, but not brief enough to leave it to the imagination. He was walking down around the park, enjoying his day off, when he saw a volleyball roll past him. Behind it, a young redhead boy was running after it.</p><p>Bokuto ran to catch it before it got to the road, telling the kid to stay back.</p><p>"Hinata!" A voice came from the park when Bokuto was handing back the volleyball to the small kid. The voice belonged to a relatively young yet tall woman wearing a long blue summer dress and a hat that almost completely hid her face. "Hinata, I told you not to play near the road. It's dangerous."</p><p>The small kid furiously nodded and apologized before running back to his friends, leaving the two alone. "Thank you, Bokuto-san." The lady said, raising her head to meet eyes just for a second with him, turning around and walking away immediately after. </p><p>How did the lady know his name? Those eyes... he had seen them before. He motioned to follow the woman and ask her if they knew each other, but there was no sight of her when he turned. She had literally vanished.</p><p>After that, those eyes were literally everywhere he went. He saw them at the convenience store while paying for his groceries. At his workplace, working as a secretary or bringing him work papers. Even driving the bus that drove right past him, waving at him with their hat.</p><p>Those eyes were everywhere, and it was driving him crazy because every time he attempted to double-check or to head over to talk to them, they were gone.</p><p>For example, he once saw them swiping the floor in the street, once again doing small eye contact with him when suddenly, a small distraction made him lose sight of them, and boom, there was no sign of them being around. It was frustrating.</p><p>He genuinely thought he was going crazy. No one seemed to know who or where those eyes belonged to, everyone showing great concern about his mental health afterward. But he was sure he wasn't crazy at all.</p><p>Bokuto figured out that, at that moment, the only person he could trust was Kuroo, but he hadn't been responding to his calls or messages. He first assumed he was taking a small break, but he now needed him the most, so he decided to take his car and drive to his house.</p><p>But he wasn't there.</p><p>Actually, he wasn't in any of his usual go-to spots. It was like he had evaporated from the city. The last place he had left to check was his friend's workplace. It'd be sporadic for him actually to be there since he hated that place the most. Still, he entered the place.</p><p>"Welcome sir, can I help you with anything?" Bokuto walked over, looking around.</p><p>"Yeah, uh, is Kuroo here? Has he like- been coming to work recently?"</p><p>"Kuroo Tetsurou? Sorry, sir, he has fired some weeks ago from the cast and kicked out of this fictional city." Huh? Bokuto looked up to meet, yet again, those grey eyes. "He told me to let you know he was kicked out against his will and that he hopes to see you soon once you figure out your way out of this giant stage. He appreciates you very much, and even if he was literally hired to be your best friend, he genuinely loves you and cares about you greatly."</p><p>Bokuto was so shocked he couldn't move, not wanting to take his eyes off the apparently old man in fear he disappeared. "Your eyes... are beautiful. The old man flushed under what now seemed tons of makeup. "Who are you?"</p><p>"Oh, yeah, I guess you wouldn't know, haha. I'm Akaashi Keiji. Nice to meet you again, Bokuto-san." Eyes widened when he heard the name.</p><p>A loud banging sound of opening doors made Bokuto turn in surprise to see many people dressed as the local police walking into the place. "Where is he?" A man asked him with great concern on his face. Bokuto hesitated and turned to Akaashi. But once again, he was gone.</p><p>***</p><p>"I'd like to report a missing person, Kuroo Tetsurou."</p><p>"Of course, sir, please take a number and wait here."</p><p>Bokuto took a number and sat in one of the local police station chairs, waiting for his turn. He looked around, watching officers go back and forth, working seemingly hard. A certain officer caught his attention, serving himself a cup of coffee from the coffee machine. He met a couple of grey eyes. They winked at him before disappearing in the back of the office.</p><p>*** </p><p>"You fucking winked at him."</p><p>"I didn't know what to do, man. I panicked, alright? It was the only thing that came to my mind at that moment." Kuroo laughed before taking another potato chip from the bag.</p><p>"But you sure looked confident, though."</p><p>"Stop!" Akaashi had now reached a brand new color of bright red.</p><p>Before Kuroo teased his friend even more, Kenma came into the room, interrupting the conversation, carrying his laptop with him. "Guys, look at this." He sat down between them and unpaused the video, ready on screen.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p> </p>
  <p>
    <em>"There are rumours about certain Easter eggs appearing on the most recent episodes of the Bokuto show. The most popular one involves one same actor embodying multiple different characters that we meet daily in Bokuto's life. We got an exclusive interview with the head of the whole Bokuto project to tell us more about it. Is it really safe to do this kind of prank? Will it put the show at risk? We have Mr. Takeyuki Yamiji to tell us all about it. Mr. Takeyuki."</em>
  </p>
  <p> <em>"Yes, hello everyone. I'm Takeyuki Yamiji, head and creator of the Bokuto show. Regarding the supposed Easter eggs you mentioned before, none of that was planned nor scripted to happen. The 'actor' you are talking about is called Akaashi Keiji and is one of the leaders of the small yet loud minority of people who are against our project. He is a very dangerous man who has been targeting the show ever since he was a teenager. You could say our biggest mistake was to hire him, back when Bokuto was in High School as an extra, we of course had him fired after the popular incident, but he continued to create this whole movement that now calls itself the team free Bokuto. The issue will soon be all fixed, though. We have gotten permission from a judge we contacted to take him down and some cops are now qualified to arrest him if we get the chance."</em></p>
  <p>
    <em>"Why do you think Bokuto hasn't shown signs of acknowledging what this man has been trying to tell him?"</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>"All Bokuto has known for his whole life is this village I created for him. We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented, it's as simple as that. But, if this was more than just a vague thought, if he was absolutely determined to discover the truth, there's no way we could prevent him. I just gave him the chance to live a normal life and there's just no way anyone would want to get out of this small paradise..."</em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
</blockquote><p>"Bullshit." Akaashi lets out. Kenma nods silently in agreement. "I'm sure Bokuto-san already knows something's up if only I could-"</p><p>"Don't even think about it." Both Kuroo and Kenma said at the same time.</p><p>"Have you heard what they said? They can recognize you now in any disguise. They are ready and waiting for you to appear again. And if you do, it'll be your end. You need to let Bokuto do the rest of the work by himself. He can do it, have a little faith in him."</p><p>"But-"</p><p>"No but's, that's it. You are not going back there."</p><p>***</p><p>Like hell, he wasn't going to go back in there.</p><p>
  <em> If he was absolutely determined to discover the truth, there's no way we could prevent him. </em>
</p><p>Those words wouldn't leave Akashi's mind, repeating on loop in his head.</p><p>
  <em> Determined to discover the truth. </em>
</p><p>His work wasn't done here just yet. He had to create Bokuto the urge of wanting to discover the truth. He needed to.</p><p>Akaashi ended up sneaking out late at night. He didn't have any disguises left to use, but Kenma had rightly said they would recognize him anyway, so he decided not to disguise himself at all. </p><p>He never really considered himself the type of person to sacrifice himself for anyone else, yet here he was, walking straight to his own end for a guy that didn't even know him almost at all.</p><p>He could wait on the barriers for sunrise. He could even sneak into the apartment used to be Kuroo's if it weren’t filled with cameras. But there was no need to wait until morning. He knew Bokuto wasn't home just yet. He was probably sitting in the usual spot he'd go with Kuroo to hang out and have a couple of beers with because, even though he didn't mention it to anyone, he missed his best friend the most.</p><p>Akaashi’s predictions were correct. He took a deep breath to prepare himself and walked over to where Bokuto was sitting, watching the sea's small waves crash against the beach. He sat down silently next to him, taking a deep breath. "Good night, Bokuto-san."</p><p>"Akaashi!" Bokuto didn't seem too surprised to see him again, but he did look happy about it, smiling brightly as hello.</p><p>The bare thought of Bokuto recognizing who he was, was enough to make his chest tighten with pride and joy. He smiled fondly.</p><p>"We have so little time. <em>They</em>'re going to be here any minute."</p><p>"Who are ‘<em>they</em>’?"</p><p>"<em>They</em> don't want me talking to you."</p><p>Bokuto looked at him, deep in the eye. Akaashi could see him fighting against all the questions running through his mind.</p><p>"Then, don't talk." Bokuto leaned closer to him, expecting a rejection from his companion, but he got the exact opposite. Akaashi smiled and leaned closer, to meet him midway.</p><p>They kissed. Both hearts were razing a million miles per hour, trying to get as much as possible from each other. Akaashi realized this was the first time he had put himself before anyone else. It felt selfish and stupid, but kissing Bokuto felt right.</p><p>And even if Akaashi would have loved for this moment to last forever, it had to finish. He could already hear them arriving. "Bokuto-san"</p><p>"What do <em>they</em> want?"</p><p>"Listen to me. Everyone knows about- everyone knows everything you do. They're pretending, Bokuto-san. Do you- do you understand? Everybody's pretending."</p><p>The sound of cars approaching was closer and closer every time. Akaashi grabbed Bokuto's arms in desperation, pure fear and determination in his eyes. </p><p>"Please promise me-"</p><p>The sound of the car opening and closing behind him.</p><p>"Please promise me you'll find out the truth about this."</p><p>A hand grabbed his arm from behind. Akaashi tried to shove it off, but two other hands dragged him away from Bokuto once again.</p><p>"Wait, who are you?" The men completely ignored Bokuto, focusing on getting Akaashi in the car. "N-no wait! Hold on, where are you taking him? I'll go too!"</p><p>"No." One of them turned to face Bokuto. He was taller but probably not stronger than him. "Sir, I recommend you go home now. We will take care of him from now."</p><p>Akaashi somehow managed to reach for the car window. "Bokuto-san! If you find the truth, you'll find Kuroo too! I kn-" Akaashi was interrupted again, this time by a loud bang of the doors closing and the car starting again and, suddenly, Akaashi was getting taken away.</p><p>***</p><p>Bokuto had felt useless many times in his life, but he had never felt this kind of useless before. Weeks had passed since the last time he saw his favorite grey eyes. Those grey eyes that would never leave his mind, torturing him. He desperately was trying to find those grey eyes in the crowd, hoping to see them for one last time. They weren't there, though.</p><p>And, despite popular belief, Bokuto wasn't dumb. He knew something was up. He had known something was up since he got the small box with the earphones. </p><p>The morning after throwing the earphones out the window, he found the note he had put on the side because it had been too dark to read. At that time, it didn't make any sense, but he now completely understood its meaning, maybe too late.</p><p>Better late than never.</p><p>The sound of his mother arriving home eventually came, and Bokuto got up to receive her. "Welcome home, Marilyn." His mother looked up at him, both confused and shocked.</p><p>"Who is Marilyn, dear?" His mother said with an extremely cautious voice.</p><p>"You, of course." Bokuto hesitated. What if he was wrong, what if-</p><p>"O-oh, yeah, you mean my second name!" Bokuto was confused now, looking at his mother like he just said the worst thing she could ever say to him. He looked at her, betrayed.</p><p>"Your second name has always been Rose, mother. I mean your 'off character name.'" His mother took a couple of steps back.</p><p>"Bokuto, dear, are you feeling alright there? Gosh, maybe you are sick or something, let me-" She tried to reach him but backed away, betrayal written all over his face.</p><p>"I didn't want to believe this at first. I really didn't want to. But now it's clear as day." Silence. "You lied to me. I'm not even you, son, am I?"</p><p>"If you mean we adopted you-."</p><p>"No. You didn't even adopt me. Some guy named Takeyuki did."</p><p>His 'mother' was now shaking, staring some point at the wall. "How do you know that name?"</p><p>"So it's true."</p><p>"How do you know? We made the impossible, so Akaashi didn't-"</p><p>Bokuto gasped. "So you do know who Akaashi is. What about all the times you said I imagined things? What about- wait." Bokuto interrupted himself. "Where is he."</p><p>His not-mother hesitated. "I can't answer that." Bokuto came closer to the woman, who seemed to be about to have a panic attack if she didn't get out of there immediately. "I swear to god. I'm not sure! I-I need to go now."</p><p>After that, she took her coat and flew out the door. Bokuto was left home alone.</p><p>But that wasn't his home. Not anymore. He looked around, no sight of cameras around, but he knew they were there. That, or he was going crazy. "I'm going to get out of here." Said to no one, but loud enough so he could make sure he was being heard. He left the house he had lived in his last 28 years after that, closing the door with a loud bang.</p><p>Right after, his phone started ringing, out of instinct, he picked up. It was Konoha. "Bokuto? We need you at the office right now, some files-."</p><p>"Are you kidding me?"</p><p>"W-what?"</p><p>"Fuck off." He hung up and got into his car, turning it on.</p><p>He had absolutely no idea where he was heading, but he was absolutely not staying in the city any longer. The thought of his whole life being fake made his heart sink. What was the meaning of his life now? Was all his life fake? Had really nothing been real? No, not everything. Kuroo was real. Akaashi was real. He had to go to them. He had to find them.</p><p>He drove fast through the city, not giving a damn fuck about speed limits, the fast he got out, the better. It was only when he was on the highway when millions of cars appeared out of nowhere, blocking his way and creating an immovable traffic jam.</p><p>He banged his hands on the wheel, frustrated, mind working faster than ever. He took a breath, trying to calm himself before getting out of the car, heading over to a guy on a motorcycle.</p><p>"Hey, hey, hey! Lend me your thingy for a second?" The driver looked at him with wide eyes. "What-?"</p><p>Bokuto motioned to him, getting him easily off his vehicle and getting on it with a hop. "Wonderful! See ya!"</p><p>"You don't even know how to drive a motorcycle."</p><p>Bokuto snorted. Damn, that was right, he had absolutely no idea how these things worked, but it couldn't be that difficult, could it? He didn't even care to put the helmet on, driving away on a great speed skipping cars. </p><p>And yeah, that was scary as shit, but scarier than that was the guys who had gotten off the cars and were trying to get to him.</p><p>Bokuto laughed at the irony of the situation. He had always been scared of leaving this city, scared of change, scared of the unknown. After knowing all he had known was fake, nothing looked more appealing than the unknown, than the real world.</p><p>Soon enough, he reached the end of the traffic jam and drove fast until he found the end of the road. Without hesitation, he walked over just to find a wall. A huge and slightly curved wall that seemed to continue all the way through both sides and top merged with the sky.</p><p>He followed the wall until he found a door handle and motioned to open it.</p><p>"The world you are about to go into is a shitty place." He heard a voice coming from everywhere. Bokuto jumped scared and turned around, looking for the origin of the voice."</p><p>"Who are you?"</p><p>"I'm the creator of this place. Or at least, of this side of paradise."</p><p>"Huh, cool." Bokuto turned and opened the door.</p><p>"Wait! Don't you want to stay? The outside world is an awful, disgusting place. Here, though, I can guarantee you your best life."</p><p>Bokuto chuckled, "No, thank you. I don't want to live a fake life."</p><p>"It wasn't fake. It was real because you made it real, Bokuto. You made millions of people's lives better just by being you. You are the world's most loved person on earth."</p><p>Bokuto just started at the ceiling, waiting for the voice to finish.</p><p>"Aren't you going to say anything? The whole world is watching!"</p><p>"Oh! Uhm, sure here's the little Spanish I managed to learn when I was in high school." Bokuto straightened up and looked around proudly, puffing his chest. <em>"Hasta luego, amigo."</em></p><p>After that, he walked out the door, closing it behind him.</p><p>
  <em>"About time you got out of there, Bo."</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>EPILOGUE PROBABLY COMING SOON IF YALL WANT IT </p><p>*cries* thank you so much for reading this (if you did)</p><p>you have no idea how much it would mean if you left feedback or comments on how i did, so feel free to speak your mind on the comments!!<br/>if you wanna know more about future writing projects you can follow me on twitter @BKAKCANON :D</p><p>THANK YOU AND SEE YOU SOON AGAIN!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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